I'm starting to wonder if there's any legitimate reason to say goodbye.

As a player, as a person, as a Giants institution - whatever the category, Sandoval is an absolute mainstay. All of the whining and complaining has grown terribly old. Stop belittling the man and realize what he means to the team, for now and the future. Get this contract done before autumn brings the lunacy of the free-agent market.

If Sandoval and his agent really want to sit at the big boys' table, trying to squeeze every cent (and extra year) out of the highest bidder, they're on their own. If some blundering billionaire wants to offer seven years and $2 billion (wait, that's the Clippers' selling price, but you never know these days), then they can sign up, puff out their chests and lurch into the great unknown - perhaps a city that really isn't to Sandoval's liking, or some American League team that wants to take away his glove.

Sandoval belongs in San Francisco, where he owns two World Series rings and counting. Where Panda hats still grace the stands. Where his regressions have always been forgiven. Where his relentlessly upbeat nature makes him an integral part of the Giants' secret weapon: a cohesive, fun-loving clubhouse.

This is all quite easy to say now, with Sandoval on a magnificent hitting tear. Still, is anyone really surprised? Sandoval is that rare individual who handles great pitching, with ease. He lit up Justin Verlanderfor two World Series home runs. He sprays line drives all over the field, from both sides of the plate. What he did to Jeff Samardzijathe other day, jacking a nasty low-and-in slider into the right-field arcade, was just obscene. There is genius in his hands.

Sandoval is lucky to be playing for the Giants because manager Bruce Bochyand hitting coach Hensley Meulenshave such an open mind. Stuck with a team obsessed with advanced analytics, Sandoval would be ridiculed for his any-pitch-in-a-storm approach. Instead, he hears this from Meulens: "We don't want him to be taking pitches and working walks. Every hitter is different. Attack with your strengths."

When people grouse about Sandoval's girth, they apparently aren't watching when he holds his ground to take a screaming one-hopper off his chest in the manner of all good third basemen, or shows his remarkable agility on dives for the ball. They forget that he plays with passion, 100 percent of the time. All of it counts - and will be missed, gravely, if he departs.

Maybe I'm naive, but I'd like to think Sandoval would be willing to calm down his agent and agree to a five-year deal - before the All-Star break. I'm not good with salary numbers; they'll figure it out. He'll be set for life. Big risk for Sabean? No question, but he's done it before - reward the player and the person - without regret. It's a game plan that represents the very essence of the Giants' success.

Actual thought

In the wake of our French Open piece on Sloane Stephensand rising junior Francis Tiafoe, Donald Youngmade some noise in the men's draw and 18-year-old Taylor Townsendwas a revelation - four compelling U.S. stories, all of them involving African Americans, none of them a Williams sister. Townsend, humiliated two years ago when the United States Tennis Association made a public issue of her weight, didn't lose faith. As a kid who idolized Martina Navratilova, she resisted the mindless tactics of mainstream coaching and learned to volley, rush the net at opportune times, throw in slices, lobs and drop shots. To think the game, in other words, instead of staying at the baseline like 10,000 other robots in women's tennis (she even starts her warm-up at the net; very cool). Playing her first-ever Grand Slam event, Townsend scored two exciting wins in Paris before being dispatched 6-2, 6-2 by 14th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro. But she made her mark. In the words of her coach, former Wimbledon finalist Zina Garrison, "She has the type of game that will change the way people think" about strategy. And her career is just beginning ... Good for Stephen Curry, standing up for Mark Jacksonand the Warriors' priceless camaraderie over the past three years. We'll see if Steve Kerrleads this team to higher ground, but Joe Lacoband Bob Myers blindsided the players on this one, and that should never be forgotten ... Meanwhile, no worries about Stan Van Gundy(who backed off the job) coming back to haunt the franchise. He's way too opinionated for the Warriors' brass, too likely to call B.S. And he has no chance to build Detroit into a contender anytime soon ... Larry Ellisonis now 0-for-4 in his attempts to buy an NBA team. Do you get the feeling the league doesn't want him around? ... Rich Gannonripped JohnnyManziel's decision to party down in Las Vegas, forgetting that's how guys roll when they're young, single, rich and the hottest thing going. Any seasoned fan could name dozens of great quarterbacks who partied like maniacs without landing on a police blotter. Good show in Vegas, Manziel. Stay longer next time.